Group offers voter guide

Wondering who those candidates are who are running for the state supreme court and the appellate courts? Now you can get good, unbiased information right on your computer.

The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform has launched a new website that provides a voters guide to judicial elections and candidates at the state level.

This guide can be found at www.illinoisvotersguide.org or by calling (312) 335-1767. It also furnishes background on the Illinois court system, links to bar associations and other sources of information and profiles of candidates for state judicial positions.

The information is unedited and was submitted by the candidates themselves. Candidates were asked to answer two questions: How can the administration of justice in Illinois be improved, and what should be done to insulate judges from political and other pressures?

The Campaign for Political Reform said its research showed a majority of voters believe the state should furnish an objective voters guide to judicial candidates before each election.

These poll results highlighted a serious need which spurred us to create this voters guide, said Cynthia Canary, director of the group. The online guide is full of useful, objective information to help the voter in evaluating candidates, she said.

Wherever possible, the site provides links to county and local bar associations so voters can get information on circuit court candidates.